Roeselare City Hall awarded BREEAM Outstanding label
The City Hall of Roeselare has been awarded a BREEAM Outstanding label — the highest possible sustainability certification for buildings. This recognition follows the completion of the renovation and extension of the historic town hall, a project that combines heritage restoration with a contemporary civic infrastructure designed for long-term environmental performance.
A civic building redefined
The project brings together the restoration of Roeselare’s historic town hall and the addition of a new administrative volume, reorienting the complex towards the Grote Markt. Between both, a new atrium acts as a central public space, linking the historic façades with the contemporary structure and organising the building’s public functions.
As a civic infrastructure, the renewed town hall integrates public services, administration and meeting spaces within a coherent spatial framework, reinforcing its role as an accessible and legible point of contact between city and citizen.
Sustainability as a design driver
Sustainability was embedded throughout the design and construction process, rather than added as a separate layer. The project included circular demolition strategies, with the majority of materials reused or recycled, as well as careful material selection and construction methods aimed at reducing environmental impact.
Energy performance was addressed through a combination of high-performance insulation, efficient building systems and the integration of a heat network. Together, these measures significantly reduce operational energy demand and improve long-term performance.
Water management was also a key component of the design, with rainwater recovery systems contributing to reduced potable water consumption for sanitation and maintenance.
Reuse and transformation
The project works within a layered historic context, including the Rococo town hall and the adjacent belfry. Rather than separating old and new, the design establishes a continuous dialogue between both, allowing the historic façades to remain legible while supporting new forms of use.
The atrium plays a central role in this transformation, revealing the rear façades of the historic buildings and bringing daylight deep into the civic interior.
A framework for long-term performance
Beyond its spatial and civic qualities, the building is conceived as a long-term framework for public use and environmental performance. The combination of heritage integration, circular construction principles and efficient building systems has resulted in one of the most sustainable civic buildings in Flanders.
The BREEAM Outstanding label confirms the ambitions set at the outset of the project: to combine heritage, public life and sustainability within a single, coherent civic structure.
Press
Read more in these articles by Bouwkroniek and Het Nieuwsblad.